While Nissan sales departments were busily shipping out N12’s they were looking to the future, and wanted a radical new design for the upcoming NX/EXA series.

Chief designer Thomas Semple, the then president of Nissan Design America, took charge of this new and ambitious new project. Semple, was renown for the design of the Pulsar EXA/NX, the NX Coupe, and even the current 350Z.

What started out as rough sketches and quickly evolved into a drivable vehicle for the 21st century.

The NX-21 was to sport a more aerodynamic design complete with the now trademark slotted exa rear lights, gullwing doors, a modern interior with all the fancy electronics the 80’s had to offer (including no rear vision mirror but a projector screen instead, a voice warning system, a smarter engine management system called ECCS), coupled with a powerful new ceramic gas turbine engine driving the RR (Rear engine/Rear drive) layout. The fuel efficiency was better than most modern diesels at the time, and could take various forms of fuel (including kerosine, light oil and alcohol). The power output was rated at 100PS.

With massive power-operated/folding gull-wing doors, Nissan provided a prototype designed for the 21st century. The rear-mounted power plant consisted of a two-shaft gas turbine with ceramic parts. The motor was rated at 100hp and could support multiple fuel types.